Trump calls for new leadership in Ukraine, slams Zelenskyy over Russia refinery strikes

Trump's diesel arrangement with Putin has triggered a fresh dispute with Zelenskyy, who says easing sanctions will help Russia prolong the war. The row intensifies as deadly strikes hit Ukraine.

In Short

• Trump urges Ukraine to find a new leader
• Calls to stop attacks on Russian refineries
• US-Russia diesel deal angers Kyiv

US President Donald Trump has called for new leadership in Ukraine and demanded that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stop attacks on Russian oil refineries, as Washington moves ahead with a diesel supply arrangement with Moscow that Kyiv fears will bankroll Russia's war.

“He better damn well stop,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday, referring to Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries. A day after announcing a deal allowing Russia to supply diesel to global markets, Trump also suggested that Ukraine should replace its president.

“I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal,” he said.

The sharp remarks came as a fresh rift emerged between Washington and Kyiv over Trump's decision to pursue the arrangement with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to an Axios report citing a US official with direct knowledge of the matter, Trump decided to proceed after Zelenskyy disregarded six US requests to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries.

The deal has angered Kyiv, with Zelenskyy warning that easing sanctions on Russian diesel exports would provide Moscow with funds to prolong the war. The Ukrainian president said the agreement had caught him off guard and accused Russia of responding to the easing of pressure with deadly attacks on Ukrainian civilians.

TRUMP SAYS UKRAINE'S STRIKES ARE HURTING US CONSUMERS

According to the US official cited by Axios, Trump wanted Ukraine to stop targeting Russian refineries without making the move conditional on Moscow halting its attacks on Ukrainian power plants.

During discussions with Trump and his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Zelenskyy had offered to suspend the strikes if Russia agreed to stop targeting Ukraine's electricity infrastructure. However, the US president wanted Kyiv to halt the attacks regardless of whether Moscow made a similar commitment, the official said.

Washington's position was driven in part by concerns over rising fuel prices in the US. The official said the administration believed Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries were adding to the pressure on American consumers.

“The attacks on the refineries cause pain in Russia, but it causes pain for the US, too,” the official said.

The official also said Trump did not consider Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries comparable to Russian attacks on Ukraine's electricity infrastructure.

Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries in recent months have disrupted Russia's energy sector. Moscow subsequently prohibited diesel exports, tightening global supplies already under pressure from the war in Iran.

US ENVOYS WARN KYIV AGAINST FURTHER STRIKES

Witkoff and Kushner held eight hours of discussions with Ukrainian negotiators in Miami on Friday as diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war continued.

During the talks, the US envoys conveyed that Trump was expected to speak with Putin and lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports. They also explained that the president had decided to proceed with the arrangement after repeated US appeals to Ukraine to stop attacking Russian refineries went unheeded.

A Ukrainian official alleged that the two envoys warned Kyiv that continued defiance could prompt Trump to suspend US intelligence support for Ukraine.

The US official rejected that account, saying the envoys had instead stressed Washington's importance as a partner supplying Ukraine with weapons and intelligence. They urged Kyiv to avoid actions that could adversely affect American consumers, the official said.

The disagreement threatens to complicate the Trump administration's efforts to negotiate an end to the war, with Washington pressing Ukraine to halt refinery strikes while Kyiv argues that Russia should not be allowed to benefit financially from easing sanctions.

ZELENSKYY SAYS RUSSIA USED DIESEL DEAL AS ‘GIFT’ TO CONTINUE WAR

Zelenskyy has repeatedly criticised Trump's announcement, arguing that the arrangement would give Moscow more money to sustain its military campaign.

The Ukrainian president described the deal as a “gift” to Putin and warned that any easing of sanctions would work in Russia's favour, allowing it to continue fighting for longer and kill more people.

He also accused Moscow of responding to the diesel agreement with fresh attacks on Ukrainian civilians.

“Today, Russia expressed its thanks for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia,” Zelenskyy said on social media on Saturday.

Ukrainian officials said a barrage of Russian strikes on the country's south-east early on Saturday killed 15 people, including three children. The reported deaths came hours after Zelenskyy warned that the easing of pressure on Moscow would encourage it to continue its military campaign.

“Last night confirmed once again that in Russia, they take any easing of pressure to mean they can keep fighting, to mean they can keep dropping bombs on cities. Different signals are needed,” he said.

There were also large-scale power outages in Kyiv, according to Ukraine's largest private energy provider.

The latest exchanges have deepened the dispute between Washington and Kyiv over how to bring the war to an end. While Trump has argued that the diesel arrangement is needed to ease fuel price pressures, Zelenskyy maintains that allowing Russian diesel exports would strengthen Moscow's ability to continue its invasion.

- Ends
With inputs from Reuters